And just like that, it’s Monday again! We are heading into a HOT week here in San Diego, so summer isn’t leaving without a fight, that’s for sure! We have a big weekend to look forward to (a very special Labor Day Weekend wedding) so I am keeping my eye on the prize.
But before I get ahead of myself, let’s chat about the weekend we just had! It was another lovely couple of days filled with fun, relaxation, and a little bit of work here and there.
Friday night kicked it off in the best way possible…NACHOS! Any time I have leftover meat that has Mexican flavor, I always turn it into nachos. This week, I used Siete Grainfree Tortilla Chips (no corn), leftover shredded beef, cheese, onion, olives, pickled jalepenos, guac, and salasa. Definitely hit the spot!
Saturday, I started the day with another fun and tough Crossfit workout. I have a love/hate relationship with Saturday morning workouts because, with the “open gym” format, I am usually pushed to work on my weaknesses. It can be exhilarating and exhausting! I left feeling nice and sweaty and accomplished. I’d say that’s a win!
Next, my mom and I spent a few hours running some errands (Home Depot-my least favorite place shop, and Trader Joe’s-my most favorite place to shop!) Once home, I got busy doing baking/recipe testing, hoping to bring some treats to a party we were attending later. I whipped up these Paleo Sugar Cookies, and they were a hit! The recipe is coming soon, just in time for your Labor Day Weekend.
While I shopped and baked, Travis slaved away all day working on the bathroom…he is making some major progress and I am SO excited. So much white, it makes my heart sing! 🙂
Later, we headed over to a friend’s to watch “the fight,” which, to me, just served as an excuse to get together with friends and eat good food! I will admit it was fun learning a little about MMA and Boxing by watching some of the greatest of all times…but I just couldn’t quite take the blood and gnarly hits. It was a fun night overall!
Sunday morning started with breakfast tacos (Are you guys picking up on this intense love for Mexican food I have yet?)
Since Sunday was my mom’s birthday, we headed off to the beach mid morning, as per my momma’s request. 
Unfortunately, it was overcast (which was strange since it was sunny and 90 degrees at home!) but that did not stop us from having a wonderfully relaxing day. We even got lucky and saw more dolphins than I have ever seen at a time! 3-4 would emerge at a time, and there must have been 20 (that we could see) all together. They were super close to the shoreline too. The dolphin sighting made up for the lack of sun!
I know it’s hard to see and doesn’t do it justice, but those are 2 dolphin fins! It’s hard to capture them with an iPhone 🙂
As soon as we got home from the beach, I got to work on her birthday cupcakes! Since I knew we would be at the beach for most of the day, I planned to take a major shortcut on dessert. This Simple Mills cake mix is gluten free and paleo, and just requires oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. And the frosting is ready to go!
Just mix the ingredients, bake…
And decorate! Hopefully you have better frosting skills than I…
I LOVE baking just as much as the next person, but I have to say it was so convenient being able to buy a boxed version of a healthy product! Its awesome seeing so many companies bringing life to more and more “real food” products. And most importantly, they were DELICIOUS! The cupcakes themselves were amazing, but the frosting stole the show. All around, a big hit!
Before diving into the tasty cupcakes, we had this gourmet meal! My mom requested tri-tip and her beloved “Garden Center Salad” (from a local restaurant.) It was SO good, I had no choice but to go back for seconds.
Then finally, the main event! We sang “Happy Birthday” and Mom blew out her candle.
I thought that, in honor of my very special mom’s very special day, I would share some of her famous sayings. This might be one of those “you have to know her to get it” situations, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway, because she drops some major wisdom from time to time! These phrases are excruciatingly simple and obvious, but all too often, I find myself repeating her go-to phrases because darn it, they are practical!
Without further ado…
Stuff My Mom Says!
- “If you use the spare, you won’t have a spare.” Duh, I know. But especially since “managing” my own kitchen and household, it rings SO true and plays in my head more often than I would like. I mean, if you use the spare toothpaste, you are out of luck when next time you run out! If you use the spare can of tomatoes, next time you go to make sauce you are gonna be pissed! And don’t even make me go into the spare rolls of TP in each bathroom! You know it’s true. So before you call me a hoarder, just remember…If you use the spare, you don’t have a spare!
- “Before you know it, it’ll be October.” She literally says this any time of the year, and it is always true. All the sudden, the months fly by and BAM, fall is here, the holidays are coming, and it’s October! And guess what…October is currently 2 months away and when you turn that calendar, you are going to remember this saying!
- “Never let your bra strap or boxspring show.” (This one’s for the girls.) Apparently, true ladies hide their bra straps and cover up those boxsprings! I think it is something her mother forced into her and now I can’t help but follow these all important directions.
- Last but not least…”You may never complain about a sunburn or a hangover…both are self induced and 100% avoidable.” It’s a hard truth and sometimes I hated her for it (not really) but anytime either happens, I keep my complaining to a minimum, knowing what she would tell me if I tried to get any sympathy!
I’m sure there are countless more things my mom has said that will pop into my head throughout my life. I find myself starting more and more sentences with, “My momma always says…” knowing full well that she has been right all along. She is the most generous, caring, hard working woman with the absolute best sense of humor and most easy going personality you can imagine! Shout out to my momma!
I hope you all have a fabulous week! I am expecting it to fly by so we can jump right into a 3-day holiday weekend complete with the marriage of our very good friends!
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